TAKEN BY THE DRAGON KING

I stared as the door swung shut, feeling the echo thundered through my body.

What the hell just happened?

My entire body was still tangling from where Dracul touched me. I could feel his body against mine, the heat that radiated off him, the power of his hand against my skin.

I shivered, lifting my hand and touching my lips. Did I react like that? Had my body been craving Dracul so badly that I had moaned and kissed him back as I meant it?

Did I want him? I had thought he was a monster, someone who I hated, someone who I would never want to be with. And yet here I was, kissing him like it meant nothing.

What is wrong with me?

I groaned and covered my face, taking a few breaths and trying to process what I had done, what had just happened between us.

What had that been anyway? Was it lust, was its insanity, or something in between? I shuddered and shook my head.

Dracula was the enemy here. He had pulled me from my home, he had taken me away from everything I loved and adored so much without so much good reason or an apology. He had ripped someone to shreds before my eyes.

He was brutal and dangerous, everyone knew that. I knew that.

Why did I melt into his touch? Why had I been so willing to let him into my life, only minutes after I fled away from him?

I don’t know. I don’t know what’s gotten into me. Why had I wanted him so badly? And why had he left like that? Without a word, without a warning? Why had he just upped and left after our kiss?

Suddenly, nothing felt clear. If I thought I was on an emotional roller-coaster before, that was nothing compared to the way I was feeling right now, nothing compared to the stress that was pounding in my heart at the thought of what had just happened.

I didn’t want him, did I? It was a panic response, it was something to do with his dragon magnetism, it was because I was scared. There were a million reasons except for the one I wouldn’t admit.

That maybe, just maybe, I had wanted him, found him attractive. Maybe, just maybe, my body had responded before my brain could catch up and kick in.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, sinking back against the cold stone.

Even though my brain was telling me to be quiet, even though my mind was protesting and coming up with excuses, my body knew the truth.

I could still feel the ghost of his hand on my skin. I could feel the sting of the stone behind me and the heat of his lips against mine.

My body ached, the dull thrumming between my thighs letting me know that the moment with him did not go unnoticed. My body felt unsatisfied. My body had wanted it to continue.

I didn’t even want to consider the possibility that my mind had wanted it to.

I’m dreaming. There’s no way I’d ever want someone like him.

I pushed myself up slowly, feeling my body ache and protest. The cold, damp wells had seeped into my bone and left me sore and stiff. After running through the castle and passionate, hard kisses, my body no longer wanted to move.

I needed to get back to the room. Dracula was right. I needed to go back, and take my time breathing, getting my head straight. I needed to sleep. Because maybe, just maybe, I would wake and realize this was all just a bad dream.

I doubted it, but I had to hope.

With hurting knees, I pushed myself to my feet and headed towards the door. The moonlight offered some semblance of light and I reached for the touch, grabbing it.

The moon lit this room, but I doubted that the halls would be brightly lit. Dracul seemed to like surrounding himself with darkness.

I shuddered and shook my head.

What was I thinking, kissing someone like him?

I shook off the discomfort, the uncomfortable feeling that trembled down my spine and I tentatively opened the door.

I peered out, but everything seemed pretty quiet. Dracul had left already, and I felt a pang in my chest that I didn’t understand.

I’m not disappointed that he left. That would be insane.

I didn’t want him to come back, so he changed his mind. I did want him in the first place. It was a moment of weakness and adrenaline. It didn’t mean anything, not really.

I stepped out into the cold stones and looked left and right. Suddenly. I wasn’t exactly sure which way I was supposed to be going.

Fantastic, now I’m lost on top of it all.

I signed and shook my head, trying to think back and figure out the route that I had taken. I came blank.

Looking around, I picked the most likely route and started walking through the hallways. I was new to this castle, and I had no memory of the twists and turns I had taken as I ran.

I had been so scared that I hadn’t been thinking. And now, I had no way to get back.

I just had to hope that I would run into a friendly servant or someone else that could point me in the right direction. I just hoped I didn’t run into anyone unfriendly.

As I padded through the dark halls, I couldn’t help but let my thoughts wander, let them drift to what just happened.

I didn’t want to think about Dracul. I didn’t want to think about how strong he had felt when he grabbed me and held me.

I didn’t want to think about how his eyes shone in the dim light, or how good it felt when I kissed him. He was a brute; he was a killer.

I didn’t want to be attracted to someone like that. I didn’t want to be with someone like that.

At least, that’s what I kept telling myself, repeating the words over and over again.

I was so lost in thought, that I almost didn’t hear the voice coming from behind a metal door.

The muffled voices sound masculine, deep, and hurried. I stopped feeling my heart rise.

Maybe they can help me find my way!

I didn’t like the thought of being stuck out here for much longer, I wanted to rest, to regroup. I lifted my hand and was about to knock on the door when I had something that made me stop dead.?

“It’s a coup you’re talking about.”

A coup? I stopped and listened. No ruler likes that word, and I was no exception. I held my breath, my hand lifted and ready to knock.

“I know that.”Another voice answered, deep and angry, “But at a point, there’s no reason to disagree with Atticus.”

“Atticus is going to run us to the ground, and you know it .”

The voice was tense, the energy of the conversation dark and hurried. I knew that I shouldn’t be listening to this. I had stumbled onto something that I shouldn’t have.

There was something dangerous about this conversation, something that made the hair at my back stand up. I shivered, feeling the cold chill move through my body.

I shouldn’t be here.

I knew that. I knew that I was overstepping my boundaries, but now that I was here, I couldn’t stop listening. I couldn’t stand to pull away.Property belongs to Nôvel(D)r/ama.Org.

“He’s going to take the fight to the enemy instead of cowering,” the voice snarled.

“And then what? Wipe the rest of us out?”

The tension was thick, and I slowly dropped my hand, leaning a little closer, to see if I could catch anything else, or hear anything more in the conversation.

I waited. I waited to hear more. I waited even though I didn’t know what I was listening for. I didn’t know what they were talking about.

But somehow I knew that this was important. Somehow, I felt like I was in the right place at the right time and I didn’t dare to move.

“You’re an idiot if you believe that.” The voice hissed.

Both men seemed to be keeping their voices down, but the anger and passion were evident. This seems to be an abandoned part of the castle, so maybe they had come here so as not to be overheard.

I almost laughed at the idea and realized that the hysteria was starting to creep up on me. I covered my mouth to stay quiet to prevent them from catching me.

“Well, I’m in. Whether you join me or not.” He spat. “But you better not get in my way. I’m done here.”

And then without a shred of warning, I heard footsteps, heavy and angry, coming right at me.

They were coming to the door.